Every year, the leading lights of the international embedded systems industry descend upon Nuremberg Messe for the annual Embedded World Exhibition & Conference. Halls 1 – 5 are awash with around 900 exhibitors and 1,600 speakers from 42 countries representing the entire embedded systems spectrum and meeting with more than 25,000 trade visitors.
The exhibitors range from construction elements, modules and full systems through to operating systems, hard and software and cover applications up to services security for electronic systems, distributed intelligence, the Internet of Things, e-mobility and energy efficiency. The Messe literally buzzes with exciting talk about the latest technology, breaking news and latest developments in this segment of the electronics industry. Editors and journalists from many leading electronics publications attend the show for briefing sessions, press conferences, product launches and interviews.
This year, 2016, the theme for Embedded World was the Internet of Things. Most, but not all, exhibitors tailored their offering towards how their product or provision was part of the solution for the Internet of Things, industrial infrastructure, industrial automation, consumer and automotive markets.
There was a lot of noise (not just from the technical chatter…) over the three days. In this competitive environment, how does an exhibitor stand out from the crowd and ensure that their booth, and more importantly message, gets traction?
Here are a few of our recommendations (with our electronics’ industry PR hat on), for a successful presence at Embedded World.
- Invest in your booth
- Prepare and plan your PR activity in advance
- Ensure your staff are technical and briefed for interviews
- Don’t forget the gifts…!
1. Invest in your booth
Some say looks don’t matter, but unfortunately this isn’t usually the case during a busy trade show. A cleverly designed, sensibly put together and well-staffed show stand goes a long way to attracting and keeping hold of the right visitors. However, bigger doesn’t always equal better. We all know that marketing budgets can vary across businesses, so it doesn’t matter if you have a smaller shell scheme over a large free standing structure. What matters is what you do with the space. Keep your stand open, inviting, professionally branded and clearly display your product – if appropriate. Also, good lighting goes a long way!
2.Prepare and plan your PR activity in advance
Embedded World is a fantastic opportunity to mix with most of Europe’s and some of the US’ and international electronics’ press. Editors and journalists are roaming the halls of the Messe, hungry for story pitches, new angles, great content and discovering what is newsworthy in the world of embedded systems that will be of interest to their readers or subscribers. In order to take full advantage of these opportunities, make sure your PR activity is well prepared with pre-briefed press releases, scheduled interviews and media savvy staff ready to be interviewed.
As a leading PR agency for the electronics industry, our (almost) entire PR team descends on Embedded World for a busy schedule of media briefings, press conferences and scheduled interviews for our clients.
3.Ensure your staff are technical and briefed for interviews
Embedded World is a technical trade show so make sure the staff manning your stand are technical. Not everyone has to be, but be sure to have at least one or two on hand who can talk confidently on the technical aspects of your product. Also, ensure that your chosen media spokesperson is primed for giving interviews and has some media training. Don’t just leave them to it, especially if they are unfamiliar with being interviewed. Provide a best practice guide and help them prepare for what may be expected of them during a briefing or interview.
4.Don’t forget the gifts…
Everyone, and we mean everyone, loves feeling wanted and appreciated. During a busy and often hectic show, a cup of coffee, a packet of Haribos, a mini chocolate or a pen when you have lost your own, can go a long way to making visitors feel welcomed and ready to spark a conversation with you which could herald the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship for years to come…Who knew the power of a bowl of boiled sweets!
We hope you have found these pointers useful for integrating into your Embedded World planning.
Publitek is the B2B electronics industry’s leading integrated digital content marketing and PR agency with vast experience of successful Embedded World attendance for our many clients.
If you would like to start a discussion about how we can help your business make the most of PR and content marketing, please get in touch.
